LED string light engines are used for many applications, for example as accent lighting, architectural lighting, and the like. The profile, i.e., the height and width, of known flexible LED light string engines is wide enough such that it can be difficult to install these known light string engines in certain environments.
LED string light engines are also used in channel letters. A typically channel letter has a five inch can depth, which is the distance between the rear wall of the channel letter and the translucent cover. To illuminate the channel letter, a string LED light engine attaches to the rear wall and directs light towards the translucent cover. To optimize efficiency, typically the LEDs are spaced from one another as far as possible before any dark spots are noticeable on the translucent cover. To achieve no dark spots, the LEDs are spaced close enough to one another so that the light beam pattern generated by each LED overlaps an adjacent LED as the light beam pattern contacts the translucent cover. Accordingly, the translucent cover is illuminated in a generally even manner having no bright spots or any dark spots.
Channel letters are also manufactured having a shallower can depth, such as about two inches. Typically, the smaller channel letters also have a smaller channel width. If the same light string engine that was used to illuminate the smaller channel letters is used to illuminate the larger channel letters, then bright spots may be noticeable because the beam pattern overlap is not as great where the beam pattern contacts the translucent cover.
LED string light engines are also used to illustrate many other devices; however, securely mounting the string light engine into the device has been an issue.